Benefits Packages for Small and Micro Businesses

61% of employees rank health benefits as one of their top-three factors for a job search.
Years ago, I worked for the insurance giant Aflac. They sell supplemental health insurance, as well as standard dental coverage, life insurance and Cafeteria Plans with options like Flexible Spending Accounts.

It's a good deal for small and micro businesses in need of benefits for their employees to help keep their employees productive and help keep themselves competitive. Aflac handles the administrative stuff and there are no direct costs to the business.

  • 68% of organizations are experiencing recruiting difficulty and skills shortages for certain types of jobs.
  • 20% of employees are not satisfied with their current benefits.
  • 54% of Millennials cite their benefits as a determining factor in deciding where to work.
 Most literature defines small business as 10 to 100 employees. Micro businesses are smaller than small businesses and are typically defined as having fewer than ten employees.

Such businesses can have trouble finding resources geared to their needs. Resources aimed at small businesses may not fit the needs of a micro business or a micro business may not qualify for such programs because they are too small.

But you can get Aflac products even if you have fewer than ten employees and you can keep getting them even if your business grows larger. Their products won't be something you outgrow and no longer qualify for if the business gets bigger.

You can get coverage via their business plans with as few as four employees. If your business is smaller than that, you can still get coverage via individual and family plans.

Since their site is quite large and you can easily get lost on it, here are a few curated links that should be useful in getting you started with understanding what they can do for your small business: I called them on the morning of 24 March 2021 to verify some info and I found their automated phone system a nuisance to navigate. Rather than calling their corporate headquarters like I did, you may want to either use the contact forms on their website to request information or find an agent in your area if you want to speak with someone.

I called Aflac because I remembered seeing information when I worked there that indicated you could get disability coverage for full-time employees who worked as little as 30 hours per week. When I called them, I was told you can get disability coverage in Washington state for full-time employees who work at least 19 hours per week. (Details will vary by state.)

If you run a small or micro business in the US and a lack of benefits is a pain point for you, Aflac may be one means to shore up your benefits package. You may be able to provide access to benefits you never dreamed possible for the size staff you have.
92% reported unexpected health expenses in the previous year

For Coastal Washington

Some months ago, while doing initial research for this piece, I did some agent searches using their agent locator tool. I was trying to identify agents available within the Coastal Washington region.
  • Using the Aberdeen, WA zip code brought up an agent in Westport and two agents in Elma.
  • Using the Forks, WA zip code brought up two agents in Port Angeles.
  • Using the Port Townsend zip code, brought up one agent in Port Townsend, one in Sequim and one in Oak Harbor.
So if you are in Coastal Washington, there are Aflac agents in this area and you probably aren't hugely far from one.

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